by I. T. Lucas
If they needed to use force to get information out of Eleanor, he preferred that no civilians be present. And especially not Syssi. She was too soft-hearted for that.
“I can help question my aunt,” Ella tried.
Kian shook his head. “She can’t even see you because you are supposed to be dead, and we can’t thrall away her memory of you being alive and well.”
It was good that he had a valid excuse for refusing her. The last thing he needed was for Ella to witness the interrogation.
55
Arwel
Suited and ready to go, Arwel called Anandur. “Which one?”
“West mountain,” Anandur answered. “She’s already gone up. You can wait for her next ride up.”
“Got it.”
With everyone covered from head to toe, it wasn’t easy to spot Eleanor. It had been incredibly lucky that they had seen and followed her before she suited.
She hadn’t put her hair up though, leaving it loose under the hat, and since it was long and dark, it was what he used as a beacon.
Moving people out of the way wasn’t a problem when he was allowed to thrall whomever he wanted, and soon Arwel was right next to her, waiting for their turn on the lift.
Breaking protocol, he lowered his scarf and pulled his goggles over his head. If he wanted the woman to respond to him, she needed to see him smile at her, and since his eyes were his best feature, she needed to see those as well.
“Hi, I’m Arwel,” he started. “It’s my first time in this resort, and you look like you know your way around here. Any particular run that you would recommend?”
She pursed her lips. “What’s your level?”
“Expert.”
“Then you can take the one I’m taking.” She smirked. “I hope you are not exaggerating your ability because this one is difficult.”
“I’ve been skiing since I was a wee little lad.” He let his Scottish accent come through, which usually worked on the ladies.
“Okay, then.” She nodded, and that was the end of the conversation.
Eleanor was indeed a strange bird. She hadn’t been rude, but she hadn’t told him her name when he’d offered his. She had smiled, but on the inside, she’d remained cold.
Maybe she wasn’t into guys?
That would ruin the entire thing. Maybe Amanda could put on an act and lure Eleanor into having dinner with her. She could pull it off, no problem.
And the best part would be that he wouldn’t have to do it. The vibe Eleanor was emitting was so negative that it was difficult for him to remain at her side and act flirty.
As their turn arrived, and he hopped onto the lift, he caught her looking at him. Perhaps she appreciated athleticism. If so, she would be much more amiable after he showed her what he could do on the slopes.
“When we get off, follow me,” she said. “Just try not to bump into me.”
Arwel smiled. “No worries. Just point the way, and I’ll take it from there.” He decided to take a gamble. “How about a little competition? The loser buys the winner dinner?”
She smirked. “Is that how you save money on your vacation? Trick unsuspecting ladies into buying you dinner?”
Unsuspecting my ass.
“Let’s switch it around then. The winner buys the loser dinner.”
“I’m going to win.”
“Okay. Whoever wins or loses, I buy you dinner. How about that?”
“Why?”
Damn, she wasn’t giving him an inch.
He shrugged. “I came here with my best friend and his fiancée, and I feel like a third wheel. I don’t want to have dinner with them every evening.”
“Let me think about it.” She pushed off the lift and headed toward her chosen trail.
He followed, and as he got to where she stopped and waited for him, Eleanor waved goodbye and took off.
That was nice of her. She wasn’t a complete jerk. Just jaded, selfish, and suspicious. If he wanted to impress her, though, he needed to win, and from the looks of it, she was very good.
Except, he was an immortal with superior physicality that no human could hope to attain. He was going to win this little competition without breaking sweat.
When he got to the bottom, Arwel pushed his goggles up and waited for Eleanor, who took only several seconds longer.
“You are good,” she said, this time with a genuine smile. “I’m Marisol.” She offered him a gloved hand.
Well, that was progress. He shook it. “Ready for another one?”
“Of course.”
“Then let’s go.”
She didn’t say much on the way up, but she seemed more relaxed around him. He had a feeling she was a loner and that talking to people was an effort for her. Even her name implied solitude, and he wondered whether she’d chosen it for that reason.
Perhaps now that her shields were lowered, he could attempt to thrall her. Everything would be so much easier if she weren’t an immune.
But not yet.
Maybe on the next ride up.
56
Kian
“You know that this is ridiculous, right?” Dalhu asked as Kian pulled out of the chalet’s driveway. “I can’t do shit for you with my busted leg.”
Kian cast him an amused glance. “Per my mother’s orders, two bodyguards must accompany me whenever I’m away from the village. Anandur and Brundar are busy, Arwel is trying to seduce a lady, and I need Yamanu to guard my wife and everyone else in the cabin. So, it has to be you. I don’t expect any trouble on the round trip out of the Quiet Zone and back.”
Dalhu pushed the passenger chair even further back to make room for his leg. “You said that you need two bodyguards. I’m just one man, and I’m unarmed.”
Kian chuckled. “You are big enough to count as two, and even unarmed and injured, you are a better fighter than most.”
That brought a ghost of a smile to Dalhu’s lips. “I appreciate your confidence, but it’s highly unmerited.”
“Just take the compliment and shut up. I need to think.”
“Yes, boss.”
“Thank you.”
That was the other reason he’d taken Dalhu with him. The guy didn’t feel the need to chitchat idly to fill the silence, and Kian needed to form a plan.
An hour later, when they were safely out of the zone, he pulled out the clan’s phone and called Turner.
“Kian, how is the vacation going?”
“We’ve got the woman, but there is a complication.”
“That’s indeed a problem,” Turner said when Kian was done. “I like your idea of bringing in Lokan to try to compel her, but if that doesn’t work, there are drugs that can make her forget the interrogation.”
That was something that Kian hadn’t considered. “Would Julian know what to do?”
“If he doesn’t, I can have someone explain it to him. Better yet, I can have the drugs delivered. First, though, I need to find you a safe house in a large enough urban center, and the nearest one is Harrisonburg. Let me make a few phone calls, and I’ll get back to you.”
“I’m in a bit of a time crunch. I drove an hour out to clear the zone to call you, and it will take me an hour to get back. That leaves about another hour to put everything in motion.”
“I understand. Park somewhere and wait. It shouldn’t take me long.” Turner ended the call.
“He’s a real asset,” Dalhu said. “How does he do it?”
“He has connections from his days in special ops, old buddies of his who turned private operators after leaving the service. And I guess many people feel indebted to him after he rescued their loved ones. I would assume that kidnappings for ransom usually involve family members of either the very rich or the politically powerful.”
Dalhu nodded. “He is very good at what he does.”
“Incomparable.”
“How are you dealing with that? I mean, he seems better than you at planning and executing complicated operations. That must be hard on you
r ego.”
“It is, but I’m not so full of myself that I don’t realize it. The mark of a good leader is not only what he’s capable of doing himself but also how good of a team he assembles to assist him. I just need to keep reminding myself of that.”
For the next ten minutes or so, they waited in silence, and Kian tried to come up with interrogating techniques that didn’t involve violence.
Perhaps there was a drug that made people talk?
He’d heard about a truth serum, but as far as he remembered, its effect was dubious.
His phone rang.
“That was fast,” Dalhu murmured.
“I got a place for you. I’m sending you the address. By the time you get there, it’s going to be fully stocked. There is a lock pad, and I’m sending you the combination to open it as well.”
“Is it big enough for the entire team? Not that I want them all there during the questioning, but if it takes longer than expected, they might want to join me.”
The mated couples were going to start to chafe, and he didn’t need to add extra stress to a situation that was already stressful.
“It’s a duplex, and I rented both sides for you through a friend. For an additional fee, the owner will stock both kitchens.”
“You are the best.”
A duplex was a great solution. He could have the civilians in one, and Eleanor and the Guardians in the other.
“I know. So here is how you are going to do it. I’m going to make room reservations in one of the hotels in the area. Once you have the lady, knock her out and send her with one of your guys and Julian to the duplex. Have one of your other guys drive her car to the hotel’s parking lot and check in. He will have to thrall those working in the reception counter to remember him coming in with Eleanor. While he is doing that, another Guardian will need to get into the control room and make sure that those several minutes of recording are erased. You have to ensure that no record will be left to dispute what the people working at the counter will remember. Do you need a moment to write it down?”
Kian shook his head. “No, I’m good. I’m just impressed with the level of detail. Please continue.”
“Once that is done, you and your bodyguards can follow the first team to Harrisonburg. The others should stay behind. I secured the other side of the duplex, but hopefully, it’s not going to be needed because Lokan will compel Eleanor to talk. Unless the interrogation takes longer than expected or if other complications necessitate the others joining you, it’s better if they stay behind. You don’t want everyone leaving at once and possibly attracting attention.”
“I agree. If we get her to talk and she knows where Jin is, we will have to go back to get Jin anyway, so it’s better if the others stay. In fact, I’m going to join Arwel and the others and leave the two vans for the rest.”
“Let’s leave that part of the plan for when we have more information, but you will have to go back in any case to deliver Eleanor to the hotel.”
“One more thing. If Lokan’s compulsion doesn’t do the trick, is there a truth serum that actually works?”
Turner chuckled. “What’s known as the truth serum, or rather something that is based on it, is what Julian is going to give her to forget. It’s quite effective for that. Unfortunately, it’s not as good at getting the truth out of people. It lets the imagination take over, and she might tell you fantastic tales, which will be completely false. She might tell you the truth as well, but you won’t know the difference, and neither will she. Even Andrew wouldn’t be able to separate facts from fiction.”
“That’s a shame. I don’t want to get rough with her.”
“Oftentimes, the threat of pain is enough. Once Julian is out of the Quiet Zone, I want him to call me with more information about Eleanor’s weight and medical condition. I’ll send him what’s needed to take care of her memory because I doubt that he can find it locally. When she wakes up in the hotel, she will not remember anything from the past twenty-four hours or so.”
“Are those drugs always effective?”
“On a regular human they should work pretty well.”
“What if we have to detain her for longer than twenty-four hours? Not that I expect to, but just in case it is necessary.”
“I’m not sure. I’ll have to check with my guy.”
Kian sighed. “I really hope that Lokan can compel her to talk as well as to silence afterward, and the drugs won’t be necessary.”
“That would be best, but it’s always good to have a plan B.”
57
Ella
“I can’t believe that my aunt is an immune,” Ella murmured. “I’m not, or rather I wasn’t before I transitioned. And Parker wasn’t immune either before his.”
Mey wrapped her arm around her shoulders. “Turner is an immune too, and I heard that he is a brilliant guy. Perhaps that’s a trait of very smart people.”
It was nice of Mey to try to cheer her up, and if Eleanor were at least a decent person, it probably would have helped, even though it implied that Ella and Parker weren’t overly smart. Well, compared to Turner, they weren’t.
“Maybe she is an immortal?” Wonder suggested. “She might have been accidentally turned like Eva.”
Amanda shook her head. “I doubt it. The chances of that happening twice are so small that it’s practically nonexistent.”
“Unless the Fates had something to do with that,” Syssi said, but she didn’t sound as if she really believed it. She’d said it out of kindness, not conviction.
Arwel’s unique talent enabled him to feel people’s emotions, and according to him, Eleanor was up to no good. Still, if not for Vivian’s impression of her sister-in-law, Ella could have hoped that her aunt had been having a bad day, and that was why Arwel had sensed darkness in her. But when two independent sources reported the same thing, it was likely true.
Could Eleanor be redeemable, though?
Every person had some good in them. Even Gorchenco, who by most standards was a bad man, and who had greatly wronged her, had some goodness in him. He sincerely cared for his people and looked after their well-being.
Eleanor must have some good in her as well. The question was whether it would be enough to bring her into the clan.
“I hear a car,” Syssi said. “I hope it’s Kian.” She walked up to the front door and opened it. “It’s him.”
The air sizzled with anticipation as everyone waited for Kian to fill them in. The phone situation meant that very little could be reported over the cellular connection. All the important stuff had to be done in person.
As he walked in with Dalhu hobbling behind him, Ella bit her lower lip to stop herself from attacking him with questions.
“Do you guys want something to eat?” Callie asked. “I made lunch.”
“That would be greatly appreciated.” Kian shrugged his coat off and hung it on a peg by the door.
The rest of them had already eaten, but everyone joined Kian and Dalhu at the table, eager to hear the news.
“Turner got us a duplex in Harrisonburg. That’s where we are going to take Eleanor. I also spoke with Lokan, and he is going to meet us there. If he manages to compel her, it will save us a lot of trouble.”
Callie came out of the kitchen with two plates and put them in front of Kian and Dalhu. “There is plenty more, so don’t hesitate to ask for refills.”
“Thank you,” Kian said. “I probably will.” He dug into the spaghetti.
For several long minutes, everyone waited for him to sate his initial hunger and continue his report. When he was half done, he put the fork down.
“If Eleanor is susceptible to compulsion, it will not only make the interrogation easy but also letting her go after she spills the beans. If she is not, we will have to give her drugs that affect memory.” He looked around. “Where is Julian?”
“He is upstairs, preparing what he needs to knock Eleanor out,” Ella said.
“Do you need me?” Julian asked from
the top of the stairs.
“Turner asked that you call him once you are out of the Quiet Zone. He needs information on Eleanor's approximate weight and medical condition for his guy to formulate the correct dose. Did you know that what’s called the truth serum can be used to make people forget things?”
“Only while it is administered. I don’t know of a drug that does it after the fact. I’m curious to find out what he uses.”
“I guess you are going to find out.”
“Who is going?” Amanda asked. “I mean aside from Arwel and Julian.”
“I’m going with Brundar and Anandur. Everyone else stays. But in case the interrogation takes longer than anticipated, or something else comes up, Turner’s secured the other side of the duplex for us as well. There is room for everyone.”
“You should take me too,” Ella said. “Five men traveling with one unconscious woman would look suspicious. What if you get pulled over?”
Kian shook his head. “We are going to drive carefully, and if we are stopped for some reason, we can thrall the police officers.”
Well, it was worth a try. But if she wasn’t going, she needed to argue on her aunt's behalf before Kian left.
“We assume that Eleanor is a Dormant. Don’t you want her to join the clan?”
Kian cast her an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, Ella. But if Arwel is right, and he usually is, we can’t. One rotten apple could bring ruin to the clan, especially since she will feel no loyalty to us.”
Crossing her arms over her chest, Ella huffed. “I’m sure that not every clan member is a saint.”
“That’s true, but even Doomers know that it’s in their best interest to keep the existence of immortals secret. Your aunt’s connection with the government spells trouble because her loyalty or her self-interest is with them. From what we’ve learned about her, chances are that she would not hesitate to expose us despite her connection to you and your family. Nothing in her behavior over the years indicates that she cares about what happens to you.”
